Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience
2026-03-27 19:30 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Thalia Mara Hall, 255 East Pascagoula Street, Jackson, MS, 39201, United States
Mississippi Symphony Orchestra is thrilled to host Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience in Jackson on Friday, March 27, for its first-ever show in its home state. Tickets go on sale Friday (1/30) for the 7:30 p.m. show at Thalia Mara Hall.
Use the button below to purchase tickets online. For assistance with ticket purchases, contact MSO Patron Services by phone (601-414-6005) or email.

Purchase Tickets

Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience
immersive, soul-stirring musical journey
Step into a world where the deep, resonant tones of Mississippi Delta Blues meet the majesty of a symphony orchestra. Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience is a groundbreaking live concert experience that transcends time, weaving the deep-rooted history of the Blues with the grandeur of orchestral music. Guided by the legendary voice and vision of Academy Award winning cinema legend Morgan Freeman, this performance is more than a concert— it’s an immersive and poignant journey through sound, culture, and storytelling.

Please note: This production, inspired by Morgan Freeman, is a unique musical experience that will take place with or without his live presence. Please note that his appearance is subject to change and not guaranteed. The show has been designed to deliver its full artistic vision regardless of his attendance.
For more details, expand toggles below. Learn more: www.symphonicblues.com.

Host & Sponsors

Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience
HOSTED BY
Mississippi Symphony Orchestra
IN COLLABORATION WITH
Visit Mississippi
Visit Clarksdale
Memphis Tourism
Crossroads Economic Partnership
CONCERT SPONSORS
C Spire
Trustmark
Entergy
Atmos Energy
Community Bank
Mississippi Public Broadcasting
Jackson Symphony League
Frascogna Law Group
Visit Jackson
Nora-Frances and Vaughan McRae
Lesly Gaynor Murray
Dr. Beverly Wade Hogan
Thomas and Elizabeth Parry
Paul and Donna Ingram
George Schimmel
IN-KIND SPONSORS
Mangia Bene
Hal & Mal’s
Campbell’s Bakery
Cathead Distillery
Southern Beverage Company
The Westin – Jackson
Ardenland
Be a part of this remarkable collaboration! Sponsorship package available.

Guest Artists

Anthony “Big A” Sherrod, Guitarist, Vocalist
Adrienne “Lady Adrena” Ervin, Vocalist
Keith Johnson, Guitarist, Vocalist, Harmonica Player
Adrian “Rev Slim” Forrest, Bassist
Mark Yacovone, Keyboardist
Lee Williams, Drummer

Concert Program

Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground (from Blind Willie Johnson’s Columbia Records recording, 1927)
Orch. Martin Gellner
Crossroads (from Robert Johnson’s Cross Road Blues EP, 1937)
Orch. David O’Rourke, Martin Gellner
You Gotta Move (from Mississippi Fred McDowell’s You Gotta Move, 1965)
Orch. Martin Gellner
Death Letter Blues (from Son House’s ​​Father of Folk Blues, 1965)
Orch. Martin Gellner
Dust My Broom (from Elmore James’s Trumpet Records recording, 1951)
Orch. David O’Rourke, Martin Gellner
Thrill is Gone (from B.B. King’s Completely Well, 1969)
Orch. David O’Rourke, Martin Gellner
Cadillac Assembly Line (from Albert King’s Cadillac Assembly Line, 1976)
Orch. Martin Gellner
Born Under a Bad Sign (from Albert King’s Born Under A Bad Sign, 1967)
Orch. David O’Rourke, Martin Gellner
Hard Times (from Ray Charles’s The Genius Sings The Blues, 1954)
Orch. David O’Rourke, Martin Gellner
Somebody Knockin’ On My Door (from Eric Clapton’s Slowhand at 70, 2015)
Orch. Martin Gellner
Travelling Riverside Blues (from Led Zeppellin’s Coda, 1982)
Orch. Martin Gellner
I’ll Take You There (from The Staple Singers’ Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, 1972)
Orch. Martin Gellner
Tried and Tried (from Anthony Big A Sherrod’s Right on Time, 2016)
Orch. David O’Rourke, Martin Gellner
Someday (from Anthony Big A Sherrod’s Right on Time, 2016)
Orch. David O’Rourke, Martin Gellner
I Lied To You (from Sinners original soundtrack, 2025)
Orch. Martin Gellner
Bring It On Home To Me (from Sam Cooke’s The Best of Sam Cooke, 1962)
Orch. Martin Gellner

Tickets

Tickets are sold online using the “Purchase Tickets” button.
Tickets for “Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience” start at $45 and are available only at ticketmaster.com, msorchestra.com or in person at Ardenland in Duling Hall.
For assistance with ticket purchases, contact MSO Patron Services by phone (601-414-6005) or email.

Venue & Parking Information

The Venue: Thalia Mara Hall, 255 E Pascagoula St, Jackson, MS 39201
Parking: City Centre Parking Garage & convenient street parking

Bravo 5: Mighty Keys
2026-04-11 19:30 - 21:00 | Thalia Mara Hall, 255 East Pascagoula Street, Jackson, MS, 39201, United States
Ticket sales open! 2025/26 concerts on sale now! Use the button below to purchase tickets online. For assistance with ticket purchases, contact MSO Patron Services by phone (601-414-6005) or email.

Purchase Tickets

Mighty Keys
passionate piano + symphonic grandeur
Pianist Alon Goldstein, an MSO audience favorite, is back in the solo spotlight, supplying all the drama, passion and expressive verve that Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 demands. Everything is kicked up a notch in this concerto, and Goldstein meets this monumental moment head-on. Lt. Kijé Suite, Prokofiev’s first film score, delivers the biting humor that made it his best-known and most-frequently recorded work.
For more details, expand toggles below.

Sponsors

MSO’s Bravo Concert Series sponsored by:

Guest artist sponsored by:
Martha Ross & Jim Thomas

Concert Program

Sergei Prokofiev, Lt. Kije Suite (1934)
Johannes Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 1 (1858) Alon Goldstein, piano

Featured Musician

Alon Goldstein is one of the most original and sensitive pianists of his generation, admired for his musical intelligence, dynamic personality, artistic vision, and innovative programming. A graduate of Tel Aviv University, Goldstein went on to study at the Peabody Conservatory of Music. He has played with symphonies across North America, as well as the Israel and London philharmonics, and is a leader with music festivals across the globe. A passionate advocate for music education, he is devoted to sharing the beauty of classical music with under-served communities.

Tickets

Tickets are sold online using the “Purchase Tickets” button.
Reserved-seat tickets for the “Mighty Keys” concert are $43 and up for adults, available in advance: online at msorchestra.com or in-person at Ardenland in Duling Hall. For student discount use “StarStudent” code. For patron services call 601-414-6005 or email.
Present your ticket with QR code on mobile device or printout.
6:30 pm – Venue Box Office opens
7:00 pm – Venue doors open
7:30 pm – Concert begins

Venue & Parking Information

The Venue: Thalia Mara Hall, 255 E Pascagoula St, Jackson, MS 39201
Parking: City Centre Parking Garage & convenient street parking

Moonlight, Music, & Meteors
2026-04-17 19:30 - 22:00 | “The Den” in LeFleur’s Bluff State Park, Riverside Park Circle, Jackson, 39216, United States
Tickets available through the Visit Jackson website here.

Moonlight, Music, & Meteors
playground pops + celestial wonders
Imagine a Friday night under the stars with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets, and sample concessions from vendors. Kick back, peer into the skies, and visit with area physicists, astronomers, and NASA Solar System Ambassadors — all during the Lyrid meteor shower!
TICKETS: $20 online until Noon on April 16, 2026 or $25 at the door
In the event of rain, an alternate date will be announced.
This project is supported in part by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
For more details, expand toggles below.

Sponsors

Concert in partnership with:

Concert Program

Aaron Copland, Fanfare for the Common Man
Joseph Curiale, Call of the Mountain (​Kayla Thompson, Narrator)
arr. John Cacavas, Star Spangled Spectacular
John Williams, Hymn to the Fallen from Saving Private Ryan
Aaron Copland​​​, Shaker Hymn
Morton Gould​, American Salute
Jay Ungar​​, Ashokan Farewell
Arr. Bruce Healey​, God Bless America (​Kayla Thompson, Narrator + Laurie Walker Hall, Vocalist)
Ludwig van Beethoven​​, Symphony No. 5 (First Movement)
Arr. Albert Wang, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
John Lennon and ​​Paul McCartney, Love Is All You Need: A Tribute to the Beatles
James Horner​​​, Music from Apollo 13
John Philip Sousa​, Invincible Eagle March
Chip Davis​​​, Return to Earth from Fresh Aire V
Michael Giacchino, Theme from Star Trek

Tickets

General admission tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at door.
Tickets available through the Visit Jackson website here.

Venue & Parking Information

The Venue: “The Den” in LeFleur’s Bluff State Park, Riverside Park Cir, Jackson, MS 39216
Parking: museum parking lot plus street parking

Sundown at Renaissance - Spring Edition
2026-04-23 19:00 - 21:00 | Renaissance At Colony Park, 1000 Highland Colony Pkwy, Ridgeland, 39157, United States
FREE open-air, community partner concert

Sundown at Renaissance
spring edition
Round up your friends and family. Grab a snack and a go-cup, from Malco Renaissance Cinema Grill & Bar or nearby Renaissance restaurants, and make yourself comfortable on the green space for a FREE open-air concert with Mississippi Symphony Orchestra!
For more details, expand toggles below.

Sponsors

Concert in partnership with:

Concert Program

A Tribute to the Film Composer (John Williams)
Tara’s Theme from Gone With the Wind
Unchained Melody
Shark’s Theme from Jaws
Main Themes from Titanic
James Bond Theme
Symphonic Picture of The Sound of Music
Imperial March from Star Wars
“Thousand Years” from Twilight
Raider’s March from Raiders of the Lost Ark
Feather Theme from Forrest Gump
Somewhere in Time
Fanfare for the Common Man
American Salute
Star Spangled Spectacular
Washington Post March

Venue & Parking Information

The Venue: Renaissance at Colony Park, Show Fountain Stage, 1000 Highland Colony Pkwy, Ridgeland, MS 39157
Parking: surrounding outdoor mall parking lot

Chamber 5: Dvořák to Debussy
2026-05-02 19:30 - 21:00 | Galloway UMC, 305 N Congress St, Jackson, MS, 39201
Ticket sales open! 2025/26 concerts on sale now! Use the button below to purchase tickets online. For assistance with ticket purchases, contact MSO Patron Services by phone (601-414-6005) or email.

Purchase Tickets

Dvořák to Debussy
syncopated ensemble + string quartet
Hear the syncopated marriage of intellect and feeling in Trevor Weston’s Dig It for clarinet, percussion, electric guitar and more in an extraordinary musical conversation not to be missed. Plus, savor the dawn of modernism in an evening centered on the comforting serenades and old-world charm of Dvořák’s famous Wind Serenade and Debussy’s propelling and compelling String Quartet.
This performance is being recorded by Mississippi Public Broadcasting for future airing on MPB’s radio network.
For more details, expand toggles below.

Sponsors

MSO’s Chamber Concert Series presented by:

Recording & broadcast by:

Concert Program

Trevor Weston, Dig it (2019)
Lowell Hollinger, soprano clarinet

Antonin Dvořák, Serenade for Wind Instruments, Cello & Bass, Op. 44 (1875)
Claude Debussy, String Quartet in G minor (1893)
Mississippi Symphony String Quartet
Alexander Ilchev, violin
Vince Massimino, violin
Ausra Jasineviciute, viola
Mert Ozkan, cello

Featured Musicians

Lowell Hollinger, soprano clarinet
MSO’s Second Clarinet Lowell Hollinger, of Miami, FL, has Bachelor Degrees in Biology and Music in Performance from Jackson State University, a Masters in Clarinet Performance from Louisiana State University, and is finishing a Doctorate at the University of Southern Mississippi. He is principal of the Mississippi Wind Symphony, teaches, and performs with orchestras in the region.
Mississippi Symphony String Quartet
Alexander Ilchev, violin
Vince Massimino, violin
Ausra Jasineviciute, viola
Mert Ozkan, cello

Tickets

Tickets are sold online using the “Purchase Tickets” button.
For assistance with ticket purchases, contact MSO Patron Services by phone (601-414-6005) or email.
Present your ticket with QR code on mobile device or printout.
6:30 pm – Venue Box Office opens
7:00 pm – Venue doors open
7:30 pm – Concert begins

Venue & Parking Information

The Venue: Galloway UMC, 305 N Congress St, Jackson, MS 39201
Parking: Galloway UMC parking lot and surrounding streets

Pops 2: Pepsi Pops
2026-05-08 19:30 - 21:00 | Old Trace Park at the Rez, 422 Post Road, Ridgeland, MS, 39157, United States
Ticket sales open! 2025/26 concerts on sale now! Use the button below to purchase tickets online. For assistance with ticket purchases, contact MSO Patron Services by phone (601-414-6005) or email.

Purchase Tickets

Pepsi Pops
blast in the park + celebrating USA’s 250th
Grab a friend, neighbor, date, parent – heck, the whole extended family – and embrace this beloved tradition of picnicking and soaking up the sunset on the banks of the Reservoir with MSO. Share time-honored movie-score favorites, plus more from the Great American Songbook, then stick around for the spirit-swelling patriotic tunes and thrilling fireworks finale saluting 250 years of America!
For more details, expand toggles below.

Sponsors

MSO’s Pops Concert Series presented by:

Concert presented by:

Concert sponsored by:
Media sponsors:

Concert Program

National Anthem
American Salute
​Shaker
Hymn to the Fallen from Saving Private Ryan
Colonel Bogey March​​​​
Selections from The Sound of Music
​Armed Forces Salute
Fanfare for the Common Man
Strings on Fire
American Patrol March
River Flows in You
Music from Frozen​​​​
Bella’s Lullaby from Twilight
Maple Leaf Rag​​​
​Star Spangled Spectacular
Stars and Stripes Forever

Schedule

5:00 pm – gates open
5:45 pm – Mississippi Youth Symphony Orchestra woodwinds
6:30 pm – David Keary and Friends
7:30 pm – MSO Pepsi Pops concert begins
Fireworks – in conjunction with finale

Food Trucks

Mando’s
Small Time Hot Dogs
A’ha Bistro
Street Dough
Beach Babe Beignets
Pepsi products will be available for purchase.

Concert Tickets

Tickets are sold online using the “Purchase Tickets” button.
Advance tickets $15; students $5; gate tickets $20
For assistance with ticket purchases, contact MSO Patron Services by phone (601-414-6005) or email.
Present your ticket with QR code on mobile device or printout.

VIP Parking Pass

VIP Parking Pass ($35) permits parking in the lot closest to the green space and is accessible through the gate located on Post Road.
Contact MSO Patron Services at 601-414-6005 or patronservices@msorchestra.com by May 1 to purchase in advance and receive by mail. Space permitting, parking passes may be available at the Post Road gate on the night of the concert.

Venue, Map & Parking Information

The Venue: Old Trace Park on the Rez, 422 Post Road Ridgeland, MS 39157
Parking: free parking lot + VIP parking with $35 pass
